The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets 124–116 for their seventh consecutive win. It was also the Lakers' second win against the Rockets in three days, giving them a tiebreaker in the battle for the No. 3 seed. According to LA sports reporter Law Murray, after the win over the Rockets, the Lakers have now won the tiebreaker against all of their closest Western Conference opponents.
"The Lakers should be the 3rd seed in the West and a trip to the semifinals. This season they have all the relevant tiebreakers - 2-1 vs. Rockets (can only play three quarters) - 2-1 vs. Nuggets (lost in Memphis) - 3-0 vs. Timberwolves (ant knee)," Law posted on X.
The Lakers swept a two-game set in Houston this week. Remarkably, this was a huge turnaround after their poor performance against the Rockets on Christmas Day. The win gave Los Angeles a 1.5-game lead over the Timberwolves with a 44–25 record. They also hold a 2.5 game lead over the Rockets.
As the final stretch of the regular season approaches, the Lakers are hitting their stride. Currently, the No. 3 seed appears to be the goal as they trail the San Antonio Spurs by seven games with 13 games remaining. Because of this, if the Lakers continue to win they will likely start the playoffs as the No. 3 seed.
These two wins were a major achievement in the playoff preview between the Lakers and the Rockets. If the teams meet again, it could turn out to be one of the best series of the playoffs.
